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Press Release: Corporate Social Responsibility Awards 2017

01 December, 2017

Posted by: EuroCham Cambodia

The awards of the 2nd edition of the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Contest were bestowed last Thursday, 16 November 2017 to 4 French companies as a recognition for their responsible practices and contributions to the sustainable economic development of Cambodia. The ceremony took place during the gala dinner of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Cambodia held at the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, in the presence of H.E. Mr. PRAK Sokhonn Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the two co-chairs of the 2017 CSR Awards jury — H.E. Mr. SOK Chenda, Minister attached to the Prime Minister, Secretary General to the Council for the Development of Cambodia and H.E. Eva NGUYEN BINH, French Ambassador to Cambodia.

This year, 17 companies took part and submitted 20 dossiers along the 3 categories of the Contest. The jury chose selected the following companies as awardees:

ARTISANS D’ANGKOR, for its overall CSR approach,

EXO TRAVEL, for the project titled « Green River », as well as

PREVOIR (KAMPUCHEA) MICRO LIFE INSURANCE PLC. and SOFITEL HOTELS & RESORTS for the coordination of their CSR actions around a project consortium aimed at improving the health and safety of employees while diffusing good practices.

These Awards, instigated and administered by the Cambodian Committee of French Foreign Trade Advisors and organised by the CCIFC, aim to promote good CSR practices carried out by companies — the latter being selected within the broader French foreign trade network. They also intend to promote the contribution of the French business community as a whole toward Cambodia’s sustainable development goals.

The organisers of the Competition wished to thank each of the 20 companies that entered the Contest, namely:

The jury has wished to acknowledge the valuable contribution of each of the 20 dossiers as follows.

Regarding the CSR approach by ARTISANS ANGKOR CO. LTD:

« ARTISANS ANGKOR has presented a CSR approach that is well integrated, well managed and holistic — from the mitigation of potentially negative environmental impacts to the realisation of societal aspirations of the firm. The jury has been particularly impressed by the effort of scientific investigation around musculoskeletal issues made possible by the allocation of substantial investment funds; as well as the leverage potential of firm’s CSR practices that might eventually inspire the employer community at large. »

Regarding the CSR project by BOLLORE LOGISTICS (CAMBODIA) LTD, aiming at strengthening healthcare and social protection of employees and their families:

« The undertaking of BOLLORE LOGISTICS CSR project has induced a noticeable heightening of social protection for employees and their families. The project has implied a skilful mobilisation of external resources at hand, especially commercial solutions for healthcare, accident and life insurance. »

Regarding the CSR approach by CONFLUENCES CONSULTING:

« At the core of CONFLUENCES CONSULTING mission lies the noble objective of providing the Cambodian economy with a supplement of innovation and technology that is necessary for its development — in alignment with priorities officially identified in the country’s “National Strategic Development Plan” and “Industrial Development Policy”. The firm appears to be particularly effective in attracting startup businesses specialising in innovation and technology, and in accompanying those through to commercial maturity. »

« DECAHTLON has presented a particularly well targeted project — bringing together the strategic line and product line of the firm, the youth segment, and a most effective lever in Cambodia that is sport. The jury has been particularly impressed with: the effectiveness of the initial fundraising; the realisation of an unprecedented sport infrastructure in Cambodia; the mobilisation of local partners toward delivering best success chances to beneficiaries, beginning with job readiness. »

Regarding the CSR approach by ENSEAS CAMBODIA:

« ENSEAS CAMBODIA appears to have achieved a high degree of integration between its overall CSR approach and its line of strategic development. The jury has been particularly impressed with achievements realised with occupational health, safety and social protection for employees. »

Regarding the CSR project by EXO TRAVEL CAMBODIA titled « Green River », for awareness raising and environmental preservation of the Mekong riverbanks:

« Aspects such as simplicity of objectives, visibility of impact, sense of pragmatism, leverage potential, promising start, mobilisation of youth, strong awareness raising component as well as role model leadership make this initiative particularly remarkable. Besides, the project is in natural alignment with the strategic line and corporate values of EXO TRAVEL CAMBODIA. »

Regarding the CSR approach by GREEN E-BIKE:

« GREEN E-BIKE has presented a meaningful demonstration of pursuing high CSR causes including: e.g. protecting the environment and the quality of air; converting residents and visitors to the use of responsible products; recycling second hand electrical bikes among the local population; inspiring other entrepreneurs to engage in similar activities. Despite the stage of maturity of the firm — i.e. a micro business at startup stage — and despite the concentration of the experience on a single site, the jury has been particularly impressed with the leverage potential of its CSR approach. »

« This project combines significant improvements on the ecological front, an effective communication among stakeholders, and actual commercial returns. It induces a real traction — an example being the ability to attract more visitors from art promotion organisations. GREEN E-BIKE, whose development stage is that of a microbusiness and startup, has successfully developed an effective network of partnerships and given rise to a potentially scalable and replicable CSR model . »

Regarding the CSR approach by HAGAR CATERING CO., LTD. :

« The jury was particularly impressed with the extent of CSR activities and realisations by HAGAR CATERING i.e. : history of the firm as precursor of the social entrepreneurship model in Cambodia; degree of integration of CSR activities within daily operations; courageous choice of recruiting from underprivileged segments of population; social performance delivered to employees; consumer health and safety; local and seasonal sourcing; responsible waste management; thorough PKI-driven monitoring; as well as a durable commercial success. »

Regarding the CSR approach by HAVAS RIVER ORCHID CHAMPAGNE:

« HAVAS RIVER ORCHID CHAMPAGNE has chosen to concentrate on a cause that is major locally and globally, namely the equality of opportunities of emancipation for both men and women. Dedicating means of professional communication for promoting such a cause produces a real impact. This firm’s CSR approach has the potential to influence a broader range of the business community and society at large. »

Regarding the CSR approach by KURALA WATER CO. LTD:

« At the core of KURALA WATER mission lies a priority that is crucial to the welfare of the Cambodian population, i.e. affordable access to mineral water. Its implementation maintains a fair balance between, on the one hand, the mitigation of environmental risks that are potentially negative — e.g. treatment of used waters — and on the other hand, the realisation of philanthropic aspirations of the firm — e.g. environmental preservation of the site of operation and surrounding neighbourhood and the creation of an NGO for the delivery of additional social benefits to the local population. »

Regarding the CSR approach by OPEN WINE, FOOD & BEVERAGES CO. LTD.:

« OPEN WINE has presented the genesis of a CSR dynamics instilled by the personal values of the business founders. Partial achievements were reported, including: inciting suppliers to engage in CSR practices; sourcing from shorter supply chains; supplying education to employees; striving for equality of chances between men and women; providing employees with health insurance; as well as implementing recycling practices. The momentum induced by the GOUT DE FRANCE consortium of enterprises appears to be particularly promising. »

Regarding the CSR project by PHARMA PRODUCT MANUFACTURING (PPM) based on the Kinal Foundation achievements:

« PHARMA PRODUCT MANUFACTURING (PPM) has presented the Kinal Foundation as an overall CSR project, that pursues extremely meaningful objectives and undertakes a variety of activities: improving nutrition and health of children; supporting promising R&D projects and thereby contributing to the ongoing effort for rebuilding the Cambodian scientific elite; and reviving the taste for reading. The jury has noted the excellent alignment between the Kinal Foundation’s CSR activities and PPM corporate values, as well as the actual engagement from top management to employees. »

Regarding the CSR approach by PRÉVOIR (KAMPUCHEA) MICRO LIFE INSURANCE:

« Broadening access to insurance is an example of valuable initiative, where the firm’s social performance and commercial objective are intrinsically interwoven. PRÉVOIR (KAMPUCHEA) MICRO LIFE INSURANCE has demonstrated a real commitment toward responsible business practices, clearly beyond legal compliance and financial performance objectives. The jury was particularly impressed with the in house education effort, the development of a healthcare partnership network, the implementation of third-party payments with a growing base of healthcare institutions, and the traction potential of the CSR model in focus. »

Regarding the CSR project consortium by PRÉVOIR (KAMPUCHEA) MICRO LIFE INSURANCE and SOFITEL SIEM REAP, for improving health and social security of employees as well as sharing good practices:

« PRÉVOIR (KAMPUCHEA) MICRO LIFE INSURANCE and SOFITEL SIEM REAP have chosen to deliver higher social benefits to employees, by providing those with additional awareness raising and knowledge on healthcare matters. While SOFITEL improves working conditions for its employees, PREVOIR improves managerial practices of its client and partner — resulting in a remarkable illustration of community of values among commercial partners. The jury has been particularly impressed with the scope and depth of monitoring and evaluation of social benefits delivered by the program. »

Regarding the CSR approach by PROJECT ALBA:

« PROJECT ALBA has presented an original model of economic in rural settings: production of quality products; capacity building with small farm owners for optimising productivity and reducing ecological footprint; improving revenues and market access. Such model, that relies on a scientific basis as far as individual performance monitoring is concerned, would be worth expanding. Although this firm is still at micro-business and startup stage, advances realised thus far are already significant. »

Regarding the CSR approach by SOCFIN CAMBODIA:

« SOCFIN CAMBODIA has carried out a comprehensive and ambitious CSR program, as a necessary prerequisite to a sustainable management of the natural resource and the quality of product in focus, e.g.: wellbeing of employees and their families; inclusion of local communities in accordance with international principles of respect of human rights; reduction of ecological footprint of Hevea plantations. The jury has been particularly impressed with the firm’s support to agronomic engineering research, with the adoption of the U.N. Global Reporting Initiative framework, and with the traction potential exerted on the overall sector. »

Regarding the CSR approach by TOTAL CAMBODGE:

« TOTAL CAMBODGE has presented a methodology for impact analysis and priority planning named "Stakeholders Relationship Management" (SRM+), whose scalability and replicability is remarkable. Its application induces advances on various fronts: contribution to economic development in Cambodia; contribution to human and social capital; higher governance standards of the firm; management of stakeholder relationships; integration of stakeholder concerns and impacts. The jury has been particularly impressed with the professionalism and maturity underpinning this CSR approach. »

Regarding the CSR project by TOTAL CAMBODGE for the transition toward solar energy:

« This project concentrates on a major cause for Cambodia that is the transition toward a non-polluting source of energy, namely solar energy. It also enacts a second and equally important transition, that of fossil fuel producers toward renewable energies — in perfect alignment with the firm’s activities. The jury has been particularly impressed with the accuracy of the quantification of carbon emission reduction and economic gains. »

Regarding the CSR approach by VICTORIA ANGKOR RESORT & SPA:

« VICTORIA ANGKOR RESORT & SPA has demonstrated a deep understanding of its ecological footprint and of the expectations of its upmarket clientele, as well as a commitment to finding best compromises. The jury has been particularly impressed with the professionalism and depth of impact analysis; with the initial investment toward such an end; with the formation of a Green Comity formulating pragmatic and realistic goals; and with the traction potential toward the hospitality sector. Among noticeable advances: social protection for employees; enhanced relationships with local communities; responsible consumption of water and electricity; local production of vegetables; recycling and waste management. »